Abstract: A document reading device includes: a reading position at which information on a document is read; a light source that radiates light toward the document passing through the reading position; a light receiving section that receives reflected light generated from the light from the light source; and a background reflection section disposed to reflect the light from the light source so as to be received by the light receiving section through the reading position. When the document is not present, the background reflection section reflects an amount of light that is greater than an amount of document-reflected light reflected by the document which is white. The background reflection section is formed by processing a specular surface so as to reflect an amount of light that is less than an amount of specularly reflected light reflected by a specular surface.

Abstract: Provided are a print head and an image forming apparatus. The print head, which selectively irradiates light to each pixel of an image on a photoconductor, the print head includes an illumination unit, which emits light, a liquid crystal layer, which transmits or intercepts the light incident from the illumination unit on a unit pixel basis according to an applied voltage, and a microlens array formed of liquid crystal polymer, which either focuses or does not focus the light passed through the liquid crystal layer onto the photoconductor.

Abstract: This invention relates to film layer which is suitable for use in a light guide plate and methods of forming said film layer and light guide plate. The invention also relates to the light guide plate and light guide devices made therefrom. The film and light guide plate are suitable for use in a range of applications, particularly in connection with the backlighting of displays, for example, liquid crystal displays.

Abstract: A projector capable of increasing in the contrast by reducing the amount of leakage of light due to reflection of light on the surface of a retarder is to be provided. A retarder is placed and tilted in a direction so that the following conditional expression is satisfied, denoting a distance between a point A where the normal drawn from the center of a substrate plane of the retarder and a substrate plane of a polarizing beam splitter intersect and a point C where the substrate plane of the polarizing beam splitter and the optical axis of a projection system as AC, and a distance between a point B where the substrate plane of the polarizing beam splitter and the system optical axis intersect and the point C as BC: AC>BC.

Abstract: An ultra-thin edge-type backlight unit allowing a local dimming driving and a scanning driving and using a low-cost light source, and a display device of excellent screen quality are provided. The backlight unit includes a light guide plate, a light source disposed in a side of the light guide plate and a reflective-type display panel disposed on an opposite side of a surface where a light radiated from the light source is extracted.

Abstract: An image display medium comprising: a display layer; a pair of substrates that retain the display layer therebetween, with at least parts of the pair of substrates configuring a frame portion to which an electrical connection connector for electrical connection to the outside connects, and with at least one of the pair of substrates being transparent; a first scan electrode group; a second scan electrode group; a first electrical contact group; a second electrical contact group; a first connection wire group; and a second connection wire group, wherein the first electrical contact group and the second electrical contact group are disposed apart from each other a distance that is greater than the distance between two mutually adjacent contacts belonging to the first electrical contact group or the second electrical contact group along at least one of a thickness direction and a surface direction of the pair of substrates, is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for applying substances comprising liquid crystals to substrates, wherein the substance is maintained at a working temperature inside a coating device, in particular a printing mechanism, the substance being in a liquid state at said temperature and the liquid crystal components contained in the substance being in a mesomorphous state. Furthermore, the invention relates to a printing machine whose components, in particular ink chamber, screen roller, transfer rollers, distributor rollers, printing cylinders and impression cylinders can be individually heated.

Abstract: A liquid crystal shutter device is provided with a liquid crystal cell including a first substrate (1), a second substrate (21), and liquid crystal sandwiched therebetween, pixel electrodes (11, 12) which are signal electrodes and lead-out electrodes (15) provided on the first substrate (1), counter electrodes which are common electrodes facing the pixel electrodes, provided on the second substrate (21), and a plurality of pixel rows (200, 300, 400) which are composed of pixels (2, 3, 4, etc.) formed by overlapped portions of the pixel electrodes and the counter electrodes, and the liquid crystal shutter device controls light applied to a photosensitive member continuously and relatively moving in a direction orthogonal to the pixel rows, in which the counter electrodes are provided separately for the respective pixel rows. Further, an RGB coupling electrode (46) for electrically connecting the counter electrodes of the respective pixel rows is preferably provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid crystal shutter (5). The liquid crystal shutter (5) includes a first and a second transparent substrates (50), (51) arranged to face each other; a light shielding film (52) formed on a surface (511) of the second transparent substrate (51), which faces the first transparent substrate (50), for restricting incidence of light travelling from the first transparent substrate (50) to the second transparent substrate (51); and transparent electrodes (54b) laminated over the light shielding film (52). The transparent electrodes (54b) are laminated over the light shielding film (52) via a single insulating layer (53b). Each of the transparent electrodes (54b), the light shielding film (52) and the insulating layer (53b) is made of an inorganic substance.

Abstract: A blocking mask and an electrode coating are formed using a gold film. The blocking mask and the electrode coating are formed together by printing an organic gold paste only in a necessary part and baking the printed organic gold paste.

Abstract: The transfer apparatus includes a light source, a transmission type image display device in which a liquid crystal layer is held between two sets of substrates and polarizing plates and a photosensitive recording medium. The light source, the image display device and the photosensitive recording medium are arranged in series along a direction in which light from the light source advances and the image display device and the photosensitive recording medium are arranged in a non-contact state. A display image transmitted from the transmission type image display device is transferred to the photosensitive recording medium. A distance between the image display device and the photosensitive recording medium and a sum total of thicknesses of the substrate and the polarizing plate at least on a side of the photosensitive recording medium in the image display device are set in accordance with a definition of the display image.

Abstract: An apparatus for printing images including an illumination optics (75) that provides uniform area light is disclosed. A prism is located at a first position and receives the uniform area light and refracts the light. A first reflective LCD modulator (90) modulates the refracted light on a site by site basis and reflects the first modulated light to a second position on a media plane. A motor (441) rotates the mirror (440) around an axis parallel to the illumination optics to a third position. A second reflective LCD modulator (95) modulates the refracted light on a site by site basis and reflects the second modulated light to a fourth position on the media plane.

Abstract: Calibration of the light emitting elements in an optical printer is carried out by mounting the optical printer on an external monitoring apparatus. The external monitoring apparatus comprises: a sensor mounting portion whereon a plurality of photosensors are mounted in a straight line; a signal processing circuit for processing the signals output from the photosensors; a reference voltage generating circuit; and a comparison and control circuit for comparing the output from the signal processing circuit with the reference voltage from the reference voltage generating circuit and outputting a signal based on the results of the comparison. The photosensors receive the light output from the light emitting elements, being subject to calibration, in the optical printer.

Abstract: Provided are a color display driving principle obtained while taking into account a difference in eye sensitivity to the flickering of differently colored lights, a TFT liquid crystal display module structure that is adequate for this method, and a double-panel projection type display device. The count of the G (green) color data that can be written is increased compared with the count for the other primary colors, or the display period for green can be extended. The repetitive unit is set to R, G, B and G, so that a satisfactory refresh rate can be set for the important color G. Therefore, the overall refresh frequency and the power consumed by the display device can be reduced without deterioration of the display quality, and requests for the time response speeds by the display device can be reduced.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal display apparatus with a scanner comprising: a liquid-crystal panel 3 used for display, an image sensor 5 used to read an image on a manuscript 10, a light source 1 illuminating the liquid-crystal panel 3 and the manuscript 10, and a diffusion plate 2 to diffuse light from the light source 1, disposed on a front side or a rear side of the liquid-crystal panel 3 so as to overlap with the liquid-crystal panel 3, wherein the image sensor 5 having a one-dimensional sensor element 107 with a light-guiding hole 120 for passing light from the light source 1 to a photosensitive layer 117, and a fiber array plate 111 provided in contact with the one-dimensional image sensor 107, the light source 1 and the image sensor 5 being disposed at an edge portion of the diffusion plate 2 so as to sandwich the diffusion plate 2.

Abstract: A reflective LCD includes first and second substrates facing each other, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the upper and lower substrates, a high transmissive polarizer attached on an outer surface of the first substrate, and an optical system disposed on the high transmissive polarizer. The high transmissive polarizer allows a part of incident light to pass and reflecting the rest of the incident light. The optical system returns the reflected light to the high transmissive polarizer after changing an advancing direction of the reflected light to a polarizing direction such that the reflected light can be transmitted through the high transmissive polarizer.

Abstract: Trichromatic light exposed through a liquid crystal panel upon which liquid crystal shutter elements are two-dimensionally arranged is exposed so as to form an image in the same position on a photosensitive recording medium by moving the photosensitive recording medium opposite the array of liquid crystal shutter elements. For example, the liquid crystal panel is provided with red liquid crystal shutter element rows, green liquid crystal shutter element rows, and blue liquid crystal shutter element rows, each arrayed with m liquid crystal shutter elements in a direction perpendicular to a direction of conveyance of the photosensitive recording medium, these element rows being arranged repetitively in an appropriate order at constant pitch such that (n+2) rows are arranged in the direction of conveyance of the photosensitive recording medium. Exposure through the liquid crystal shutter elements is activated every time the photosensitive recording medium is conveyed by the same distance as the constant pitch.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical writing device having an array of a plurality of writing light shutter elements for an image forming purpose. The optical writing device also has at least one first monitoring light shutter element and at least one second monitoring light shutter element. During recording period, the first second monitoring light shutter element is frequently driven, and the second monitoring light shutter element is infrequently driven. After the recording period, the first and second monitoring light shutter elements are driven with varying voltage, and light amounts from the first and second monitoring light shutter elements are sensed by a sensor. Based on the output from the sensor, optimal drive voltage for the next recording period is set.

Abstract: Printing apparatus for radiation thermal transfer of colorant from a donor to a receiver, including a flash tube for emitting high intensity radiation; a polarizer for receiving high intensity radiation from the flash tube and polarizing such radiation; and liquid crystal cells disposed to receive polarized radiation from the polarizer. Electrodes modulate the liquid crystal cells so that they change the polarization of the radiation passing through them. A second polarizer receives radiation from the liquid crystal cells and is arranged to pass different intensities of radiation depending on their polarization. The colorant donor and the receiver are positioned in colorant transfer relationship with the second polarizer at a colorant transfer position so that radiation which passes through the second polarizer illuminates the colorant donor so that colorant is transferred to the receiver.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator for use in a optical printer where the spatial light modulator includes a plurality of cells, having a shape that is defined to decrease artifacts in an image produced on a recording medium by the optical printer. The shape of the plurality of cells merges a portion of the optical radiation passing through an individual cell of the spatial light modulator with optical radiation from that of adjacent cell to form a pixel on the recording medium. In one implementation each of the cells of the spatial light modulator independently modulate the optical radiation so as to print horizontally-displaced pixels. When LEDs are used as the colored light source, the light is either first diffused to minimize shadows from electrical contacts on the LEDs, thus removing linear artifacts in the image.

Abstract: An optical shutter element drive mechanism for driving optical shutter elements that are electrically equivalent to condensers by charging and discharging the elements by a power source and switching elements. The optical shutter element drive mechanism includes a resistor through which a current for charging the optical shutter elements flows when the optical shutter elements are charged and through which a current for discharging the optical shutter elements flows when the optical shutter elements are discharged.

Abstract: A photographic printer has a lamp which projects light through a cut-off filter, a filter unit, and a diffusion plate. The light travels further through a film negative, an objective lens, and to a polarizing beam splitter. The beam splitter provides the light to a spatial light modulator and to an exposing/enlarging lens. The spatial light modulator includes a light modulating layer of a homeotropically oriented nematic liquid crystal having a negative dielectric anisotropy. Layers of transparent electrodes in the spatial light modulator are provided with a predetermined voltage of a predetermined frequency. A write CRT, controlled by a controller and control unit, provides light to the spatial light modulator so that the light from the beam splitter can be modulated with an appropriate correction. The modulated light and the light from the beam splitter are made incident on a photographic color paper. The photographic printer has improved compensation for blur caused by dust on the optical path.

Abstract: A system and method digitally scans a document using a high reflectance mode and a low reflectance mode. Initially, a platen cover provides a low reflectance background around the document and the scanner scans the low reflectance background and document to determine an edge of the document or to retrieve other image characteristics of the document. Subsequently, the platen cover changes so as to provide a high reflectance background around the document. The scanner then scans the high reflectance background and the document and produces digital image data relating to an image on the document.